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The rockets Hamas is using and their launch systems are profoundly simple, best as I can tell. Qassam and related rockets are little more than steel tubes with

The rockets Hamas is using and their launch systems are profoundly simple, best as I can tell. Qassam and related rockets are little more than steel tubes with an explosive warhead. They are unguided so far as I can tell, and to the extent that they're targeted at all, this is likely based on the launch direction, angle, and fuel load. These are weapons of terror and area denial, not precision strike weapons. They land roughly at random. Missile accuracy is described by CEP, circular error probably. I can find no information on the CEP of Qassam rockets. Wikipedia has images of the rockets in this article: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket> The (current) top image shows eight launchers, literally just welded box-steel frames, roughly 2 meters tall. I presume these can be stored under cover and rapidly assembled in a clear space for a launch. There are no electronics, radars, control vehicles, etc., which is to say, there's very little to detect. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket#/media/File:Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Eight_Qassam_Launchers_in_Gaza.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket#/media/File:Flic...> The contrast with IDF's precision munitions which strike a single building from multiple angles to both perform a "roof knock", then implode the structure, couldn't be more stark. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof_knocking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof_knocking> Example of "roof knocking" (shown after the implosion, the roof knocking of course occurred first), followed by three strikes to the left, centre, and right of the Palestine Tower in Gaza, on 7 October 2023: <https://yewtu.be/watch?v=ZFTK9V_mEjI https://yewtu.be/watch?v=ZFTK9V_mEjI>

2Gkashmiri 3y ago
can a sane person explain to me how, "roof knock" to inform the civilians to leave a building before the inevitable explosives destroy the building are supposed to do anything other than collective punishment to the residents of that building? If you have actual intel of your opponent in a building, you take that out and collateral damage of human and infra comes with it but when you "warn" the people that a strike is incoming, what's the point?
- mytailorisrich 3y ago
  Those strikes are to destroy the infrastructure or assets located in a building, not the people. Of course when the target is a person or group of people there is no warning. I think there is also an element of PR in addition to genuine concern for collateral victims as this is an urban environment and Israel knows they will inevitably be accused of wrongdoing. Note that civilian buildings are purposely used to store military assets.
  - tguvot 3y ago
    >Those strikes are to destroy the infrastructure or assets located in a building, not the people. Of course when the target is a person or group of people there is no warning actually depending on collateral damage strike could be cancelled. till bomb/rocket is released it's tentative strike. there is footage here and there of cancelled strikes. additionally IDF made some long multi-disciplinary research with ethicians, lawyers, mathematicians, etc about how to balance target (priority, level of immediate danger aka ticking bomb, long term implication of target staying alive, etc. it's not really published) vs acceptable collateral damage

2Gkashmiri 3y ago

can a sane person explain to me how, "roof knock" to inform the civilians to leave a building before the inevitable explosives destroy the building are supposed to do anything other than collective punishment to the residents of that building? If you have actual intel of your opponent in a building, you take that out and collateral damage of human and infra comes with it but when you "warn" the people that a strike is incoming, what's the point?

mytailorisrich 3y ago
Those strikes are to destroy the infrastructure or assets located in a building, not the people. Of course when the target is a person or group of people there is no warning. I think there is also an element of PR in addition to genuine concern for collateral victims as this is an urban environment and Israel knows they will inevitably be accused of wrongdoing. Note that civilian buildings are purposely used to store military assets.
- tguvot 3y ago
  >Those strikes are to destroy the infrastructure or assets located in a building, not the people. Of course when the target is a person or group of people there is no warning actually depending on collateral damage strike could be cancelled. till bomb/rocket is released it's tentative strike. there is footage here and there of cancelled strikes. additionally IDF made some long multi-disciplinary research with ethicians, lawyers, mathematicians, etc about how to balance target (priority, level of immediate danger aka ticking bomb, long term implication of target staying alive, etc. it's not really published) vs acceptable collateral damage